Elvis 68 Comeback

"An in-depth behind the scenes look at the making of the '68 NBC Television Special that put Elvis back on the map, written by director/ producer Steve Binder. Filled with never before told stories and classic images, the book offers fresh perspective on who Elvis was as a man and a musician. Binder recounts his tug of war with Elvis's controlling manager Colonel Parker, shares his personal battle with censors, and poignantly writes a buddy story where he ultimately gains Elvis's trust."--Amazon.com

1968. A year of riots, revolution and world-changing Rock'n'roll. Except for Elvis Presley. The King of the Fifties had become the Clown of the Sixties, churning out bad music in dismal films, a humiliating spectre of his former glory. In the words of the hip young director assigned to his first TV special, Elvis' reputation was "in the toilet." However the same director, Steve Binder, was now about to save it. Together they would embark on the biggest creative fight of Elvis' life. Overcoming insecurity, paranoia, a failing marriage, network censors, drugs, the over-protective Memphis Mafia, the sabotaging whims of manager Colonel Tom Parker and the heat exhaustion of his soon-to-be iconic black leather suit, with his '68 TV Special Elvis gave the defining performance of his career. He never sang harder, rocked wilder or blazed sexier. This was Elvis, The Resurrection.

A chronicle of the comeback performance that marked Elvis Presley’s return from the screen to the stage. Includes exclusive content from the show’s director, Steve Binder. The book contains a foreword by noted film director Baz Luhrmann, whose film credits include Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby, and the 2022 Warner Brothers feature film, Elvis. Take a tour behind the scenes at the NBC television special that relaunched Elvis Presley’s career as a stage musician. Author Steve Binder—who directed the TV special—provides exclusive content that gives fans even more insight into the performance that many see as a high point in the King of Rock’s reign of American music. Elvis ’68 Comeback includes full-color photographs and detailed commentary on the show’s development and production, making this an excellent addition to the shelf of every Elvis fan. Foreword by film director Baz Luhrmann.

Hailed as "a masterwork" by the Wall Street Journal, Careless Loveis the full, true, and mesmerizing story of Elvis Presley's last two decades, in the long-awaited second volume of Peter Guralnick's masterful two-part biography. Winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award Last Train to Memphis, the first part of Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Presley, was acclaimed by the New York Times as "a triumph of biographical art." This concluding volume recounts the second half of Elvis' life in rich and previously unimagined detail, and confirms Guralnick's status as one of the great biographers of our time. Beginning with Presley's army service in Germany in 1958 and ending with his death in Memphis in 1977, Careless Love chronicles the unravelling of the dream that once shone so brightly, homing in on the complex playing-out of Elvis' relationship with his Machiavellian manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It's a breathtaking revelatory drama that for the first time places the events of a too-often mistold tale in a fresh, believable, and understandable context. Elvis' changes during these years form a tragic mystery that Careless Love unlocks for the first time. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. Written with grace, sensitivity, and passion, Careless Love is a unique contribution to our understanding of American popular culture and the nature of success, giving us true insight at last into one of the most misunderstood public figures of our times.

Return Of The King tells the story of a tumultuous period in the life of Elvis Presley. By 1967, The King Of Rock 'n' Roll was all but washed-up, thanks to a string of bland movie roles and lackluster records. But within a year he had roused himself, loosened the creative shackles imposed by his grasping manager, 'Colonel' Tom Parker, and reconnected with the rock audience through a riveting TV special. There followed a glorious but all too brief artistic flowering, in which he made some of his most enduring records, including 'Suspicious Minds' and 'In The Ghetto.' This meticulously researched and elegantly written book, based on a string of new interviews with colleagues, friends, fans, and observers of The King, sheds new light on the events of Elvis's great comeback.

1968. A year of riots, revolution and world-changing Rock'n'roll. Except for Elvis Presley. The King of the Fifties had become the Clown of the Sixties, churning out bad music in dismal films, a humiliating spectre of his former glory. In the words of the hip young director assigned to his first TV special, Elvis' reputation was "in the toilet." However the same director, Steve Binder, was now about to save it. Together they would embark on the biggest creative fight of Elvis' life. Overcoming insecurity, paranoia, a failing marriage, network censors, drugs, the over-protective Memphis Mafia, the sabotaging whims of manager Colonel Tom Parker and the heat exhaustion of his soon-to-be iconic black leather suit, with his '68 TV Special Elvis gave the defining performance of his career. He never sang harder, rocked wilder or blazed sexier. This was Elvis, The Resurrection.

This is the first of two volumes that make up what is arguably the definitive Elvis biography. Rich in documentary and interview material, this volume charts Elvis' early years and his rise to fame, taking us up to his departure for Germany in 1958. Of all the biographies of Elvis - this is the one you will keep coming back to.

“Outstanding pop-culture history.” —Newsday The “smart and zippy account” (The Wall Street Journal) of how Las Vegas saved Elvis and Elvis saved Las Vegas in the greatest musical comeback of all time. Elvis’s 1969 opening night in Vegas was his first time back on a live stage in more than eight years. His career had gone sour—bad movies, mediocre pop songs that no longer made the charts—and he’d been dismissed by most critics as over-the-hill. But in Vegas he played the biggest showroom in the biggest hotel in the city, drawing more people for his four-week engagement than any other show in Vegas history. His performance got rave reviews; “Suspicious Minds,” the song he introduced there, gave him his first number-one hit in seven years; and Elvis became Vegas’s biggest star. Over the next seven years, he performed more than 600 shows there, and sold out every one. Las Vegas was changed, too. By the end of the ‘60s, Vegas’ golden age—when the Rat Pack led a glittering array of stars who made it the nation’s premier live-entertainment center—was losing its luster. Elvis created a new kind of Vegas show: an over-the-top, rock-concert extravaganza. He set a new bar for Vegas performers, with the biggest salary, the biggest musical production, and the biggest promotion campaign the city had ever seen. He opened the door to a new generation of pop/rock artists and brought a new audience to Vegas—not the traditional well-heeled older gamblers, but a mass audience from Middle America that Vegas depends on for its success to this day. At once “a fascinating history of Vegas as gambling capital, celebrity playground, mob hangout, [and] entertainment Valhalla” (Rolling Stone) and the incredible “tale of how the King got his groove back” (Associated Press), Elvis in Vegas is a classic feel-good story for the ages.